Tom Still

It’s safe to say Wisconsin has a mixed record when it comes to slogans and brands.

One of my favorite pop quizzes for people outside Wisconsin, especially those who understand the tech-based economy, is to ask them to name the nation’s top five academic research universities. The answers invariably include the likes of Stanford, Yale and Harvard, but rarely does anyone outside the Midwest guess that UW-Madison is perennially on the list.

The lights went out last Tuesday in India. From its eastern border with Myanmar to its western frontier with Pakistan, the electrical system failure spread across 2,000 miles and left 670 million people – nearly 10 percent of the world’s population – without power.

Jeff Helgesen, one of Rock County's largest developers, doesn't parse words when he's asked if the Janesville area is better off today than it was when General Motors Corp. was the 800-pound gorilla in town.

By any standard, the Internet ranks as one of the leading innovations of our time. It has revolutionized everything from commerce to medicine to entertainment, all within the confines of a generation.

The University of Wisconsin System was a bit late to the digital education party, but at least it's not a no-show.

Back in 1916, when the Marshfield Clinic was founded by a handful of forward-looking physicians, it didn’t seem so isolated. In fact, Marshfield stood at the crossroads of several major railroads – and the passenger lines that passed through were a steady source of people in need of care.

You've been thinking about starting your own company for quite a while. In fact, the ideas you jotted down on your laptop are haunting you each night as you wonder, “What if someone else does this first?”

MADISON – President Obama endorsed it. The Senate passed it by a 3-to-1 margin. The margin of victory in the House of Representatives was even higher. Interest groups such as the National Venture Capital Association and the Biotechnology Industry Organization have praised it.

Lisa Johnson, the Madison entrepreneur who is vice president of innovation for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., had a front row seat at a recent gathering of angel investors from across the United States and beyond.

Good riddance to 2009, a bruising year for the Wisconsin and national economies. Welcome to 2010, which can hardly be more punishing – and which may even bring renewed vigor to the innovation economy.

The following loan guarantees were approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration during February: All Our Kids Child Care and Learning Center,...